In many applications a ceramic is utilized because of the desired properties the ceramic exhibits. The hardness of ceramics make them suitable in applications from knives to ball bearings to armored vests. The heat resistance property of certain ceramics makes them suitable for such applications as heat ablative tiles or jet engine turbine blades. Some ceramics also possess the property of superconductivity and some other ceramics behave as semiconductors.
Composite ceramics are formed of more than one material such as a combination of ceramic material reinforced with some kind of particulate matter. Composite ceramics are desirable since, in addition to their high hardness, the composite can also possess a greater fracture toughness, which includes the ability to resist fracture. Present methods used to produce composite ceramics are costly, inefficient and complicated. Many such methods typically require a time consuming milling process.
Accordingly, it is desirable to create an efficient and inexpensive method to produce ceramics having improve material characteristics, and especially fracture toughness.